Manage rather than react is best for dealing with the prickly problems of our reefs

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-07-01 00:01

Australia; New Zealand; QLD; TAS

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Aussie researchers say early prevention and management of sea urchins on our reefs is a far better way to control outbreaks than just reactively trying to control them. Recurrent outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish on the Great Barrier Reef and high densities of long-spined sea urchins on the eastern Great Southern Reef have the potential to dramatically alter or damage our reefs, and the team behind this new research suggest culling or harvesting them is likely better in the long term. They found evidence that effective, local, top-down active management plans could prevent outbreaks before they start, which would end up being more cost-effective than the reactive removal of the prickly critters. The team note funding disparities between the two areas, though, with over 40 times as much money going towards dealing with crown-of-thorns starfish on the Great Barrier Reef than with the spinys on the Great Southern Reef.